Cigar lighter



ay 22, 1934. J H, COHEN 1,959,524

CIGAR LIGHTER Filed Oct. 4, 1926 IN1/EN TOR. Jasef CIJ/76W,

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/V URNEY Patented May 22, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIGAR LIGHTER Joseph H. Cohen, Bridgeport, Conn.

Application October 4, 1926, Serial No. 139,354

8 Claims. (Cl. 219-32) This invention relates to cigar-lighters, and on a desk or table, a stern or standard 15 rising more particularly to electric cigar-lighters of the from the base and a cupped-portion 16 conkind adapted for use with commercial currents. nected to and adapted to support the heating Heretofore, there have been many proposals of unit 11.

electric cigar-lighters intended for use with com- The base 14, standard 15 and cupped-portion 60 mercial currents of about 110 voltage, but these, 16 may obviously be made integral, but, according ior the most part, have failed to go into general to this invention, they are preferably made of use. Some involved the use of transformers, and separate pieces and are secured together by screwhence were not universal to both alternating and threads 17 and 18 between the base 14 and the direct currents; some had eXtra resistances in Stem 15, and between the stern 15 and the cupped- 5 their bases which would heat-up and thus `increase portion 16 respectively. This is done so that a the fire hazard; some had heating or igniting elelarge variety of styles of cigar-lighters may be ments of such size that an excessive amount of produced by making the referred to parts of heat would be developed, making it uncomfortdifferent materials with a small number of differ- 35 ably hot for persons using the cigar-lighter; and ent parts. For instance, when the three parts,

some, by reason of their necessary sizes and namely the base, stern and cupped-portion are forms, were unsuitable for use on a table or desk made up in nickel finish and mahogany-toned in an omge or home, phenol condensation composition, a holder of one Hence, an object of this invention is to provide style may be made up of a composition base, a

A@ an electric cigar-lighter for commercial currents, nickel-finish stem, and a composition cupped- 75 which has none of the disadvantages above reportion as shown. Another style may be proferred to, and yet which can be economically duced by doing just the opposite; that is, by makmade, so that its cost to the customer will be relaing the base nickel finish, the stem of compositive1y Small, tion, and the cupped-'portion of composition.

The igniting unit which, according to this in- And other styles may be made by making all the 80 vention, is so arranged that no appreciable parts nickel-nish or all the parts of composition. amount of heat is transferred to the holder by Again, either the base and the stem, or the stem either convection or conduction is described and and the cupped-portion, may be made of the claimed in my divisional application, Serial No. same material or finish, while the other part is 233,628, iiled June 7, 1928. made of the other material or nish.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter The igniting unit 11 of the present invention appear. which, as above stated, is supported on the In the accompanying drawing, which shows cupped-portion 16 comprises a coil 19 of high rethe form of the invention at present preferredsistanoe wire wound in helical form and laid in Figure 1 is a plan view of the top of a cigara spiral groove 20 formed in a disk 2l of porcelain 90 lighter made in accordance with the present inor vother fire-resisting or refractory material vention. which reflects a substantial amount of the heat Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the cigardeveloped in the coil 19 to the smokers article `to lighter. be ignited and which is held directly above the Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken device for that purpose. Beneath the disk 21 95 on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. there is placed a disk 22 of mica or other heat re- Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the disassembled fleeting material whose function it is to reflect parts of the heating unit, showing one part above any heat coming from the coil 19 or disk 21 up the other in the order in which the parts are put against the disk, and to thus retard the downtogether upon each other. ward passage of heat developed in the coil 19. 100 Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the contacts. Directly beneath the mica disk 22 and support- As shown in the accompanying drawing, the ing the same is a relatively thick cylindrical block cigar-lighter of this invention comprises a holder 23rof asbestos wool or other heat-resisting and 10 in which is mounted a heating or igniting unit heat-insulating material. This block 23 prevents 5o 11, the device being connected with a suitable any heat which passes through the mica disk 22 105 source of current volts in the form shown) from passing downwardly into the holder 10 by a cable 12 preferably provided with an attachwhich, as stated, is adapted to be held in the hand ment plug 13. Y while in use. The block 23 is backed by a backing The holder lo, according to this invention, complate 24 of porcelain which has a cup 25 to ret; prises a base 14, upon which it may be supported ceive Ythe lower end of the block. The bottom 110 Y so part of the backing plate 24 is reduced at 26 to substantially t the lip of the cupped-portion 16 and thus provide a ilange 27 adapted to rest upon the top edge of the cupped-portion 16.

The parts above described of the igniting unit are secured together to form a unitary structure, which may be placed in and taken out of the holder, by screw-threaded rods 28, 29 and 30, having heads located in countersunk apertures in disk 21 and drawing the parts together and holding them so by means of screw-thread members 31, 32 and 33 respectively, member 33 being an ordinary nut while members 31 and 32 constitute contacts, as hereinafter described.

Direct contact of the smokers article with the coil 19 is prevented by a cover disk 34 of mica, which covers the porcelain disk 21 and which has apertures 35 therein to permit the heatdeveloped in the coil 19 to pass therethrough to the smokers article. This mica disk 34 is securely held in place on the disk 21 by a ferrule 36 surrounding the disk 21 and having a flange 37 overlying the cover disk 34. The ferrule 36 is secured to the disk 21 by spinning the lower edge of the ferrule over the lower edge of the disk21.

It should be noted that the mica disk 34 covers the apertures in the disk 21 in which the screws 28, 29 and 30 are located, and that consequently the device cannot be tampered with, without pi'actically destroying it by the removal of the ferrule 36.

As thus constructed, the igniting unit may be inserted in the holder by placing the backing plate 24 on the upper edge of the holder. The igniting unit is secured in this position by a guard 38 which has at its lower end screw-thread engagement 39 with the cupped-portion 16 and an inwardly extending flange 40 adapted to overlie the flange 27 on the backing plate 24 Yand hold the igniting unit rmly in place when the guard is screwed down, as shown in Fig. 2.

In order that the heat generated by the coil 19 may be drawn up against the smokers article by suction through the latter and by a natural draft, the present invention provides perforations 21a in the disk 21 and spaces the bottom of the disk 21 from the mica disk22 by legs 2lb formed in the disk 21. In addition, the guard 38 is spaced from the igniting unit so as to allow air to follow the paths of the arrows shown in Fig. 2', that is, down between the guard 38 and the igniting unit, then under the disk 21 through the spaces provided Vby the legs 2lb, then up through the perforation 21a inthe disk 21 past the coil 19 where it is heated, and out through the apertures 35 in the mica cover diskY 34 to the smokers article.

As above stated, current is supplied to the cigar-lighter by means of a Vcable 12. This passes into the device through a suitable hole in the base 14 or stem 15 and up the stem 15 to the interior of the cupped-portion 16. In the cupped-portion one wire 41 of the cable is soldered to a post 42 mounted in the disk 43 of l composition or other insulation removably mounted in the cupped-portion 16, while the other wire 44 is soldered to a socket 45 (see Fig.

V5) mounted at another part ofthe disk 43.

These two parts, the post 42 and the socket 45, carry the current for heating the coil 19, but onlyrdo so when the igniting unit is mounted in operative position and a switch, to be described, is operated.

The igniting unit is normally connected to the wire 44 when the igniting unit is in operative position on the holder by means of the threaded member 31, for the screw 28, which is slit at its lower end (see Fig. 5) so as to enter the socket 45 and rmly engage the same when the igniting unit is placed on the holder. Hence, the circuit through the coil 19, which is connected to the screw 28, is completed to the central screw 29 and threaded member 32 thereon for the other end of the coil 19 is anchored under the head of the'screw 29, see Fig. 1.

The connection between the member 32 and the post 42, which is necessary before current may ow through the coil 19, is made by a manually opeiable switch comprising a button 46 of insulating material extending through a hole in the cupped-portion 16, and at its inner end threaded in a metallic sleeve 47 located in the cupped-portion 16 above the disk 43 and below the disk 24 of the igniting unit. The inner end of the sleeve 47 is provided with a plunger 48 engaging a socket 49 provided in the post 42 and making electrical contact therewith. The plunger 48 is kept in engagement with the post 42, and the sleeve 47 and button 46 are held in their outward positions as shown in Fig. 2, with the sleeve 47 against the inside of the wall of the cupped-portion 16 by a spring 49 bearing against the plunger which is hollowed to receive it and against the end of the button 46.

When the cigar-lighter is to be used, the button 46 is pressed inwardly against the tension of the spring 49, and this causes a flange 50 on the sleeve 47 to be moved into engagement with Y ilo 29,Y member 32, ange 50, sleever47, plunger 48 and post 42 to the wire-41.

In assembling the switch in the cupped-portion 16, thesleeve 47 and plunger 48, with or without the spring 49, are placed in the cuppedportion with the hole in the sleeve aligned with the hole in the cupped-portion; and then, if it has not already been done, the spring 49 is dropped in the sleeve and nally the button 46 is screwed in place. This places the spring 49 under vtension and also locks the Vsleeve and plungerin place. These operations are extremely easy, because the spring 49 is not under tension until the button 46 is screwed home.

It should be noted that the switch, when in operative position in the cupped-portion prevents any appreciable movement of the disk upwardly in the cupped-portion, because of the location of the flange 50 close to the disk 43.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired toobtain Letters-Patent, iszy 1. A cigar-lighter comprising a body portion; an igniting unit removably mounted on the end of the body portion and extending upwardly therefrom, said igniting unit having a heating device and also connecting lateral and vertical air passages to permit air -to enter the side of the unit and pass over the heating device; and a guard removably mounted on said body portion and adapted to encircle the igniting unit, said guard having means for locking the igniting unit to the body portion when the guard is secured to the body portion, and said guard being substantially larger than the igniting unit at the point thereon where the lateral air passages are for the air Abeing drawn through the connecting lateral and vertical air passages.

2, A cigar-lighter comprising a body portion; a contact block of insulating material mounted in said body portion; a contact mounted in said block of insulating material and extending upwardly therefrom; an igniting unit mounted on said body portion; a contact on the igniting unit extending downwardly toward the block of insulating material but out of electrical engagement with the contact on the block of insulating material; and a circuit closer carried by said body portion and supported at one end on the contact extending upwardly from said contact block and adapted when operated to engage the contact extending downwardly from the igniting unit.

3. A cigar-lighter comprising a body portion; a contact block of insulating material mounted in said body portion; a contact mounted in said block of insulating material and extending upwardly therefrom; an igniting unit mounted on said body portion; a contact on the igniting unit extending downwardly toward the block of insulating material; and a manually movable sleeve mounted in said body portion and adapted to engage the contact on the igniting unit when said sleeve is moved to operative position, said sleeve being provided with a spring-pressed plunger adapted to normally engage the contact mounted in said contact block.

4. A cigar-lighter comprising a body portion; a contact member mounted in said body portion and insulated therefrom; an igniting unit removably mounted in said body portion; a guard unit removably mounted on said body portion and adapted in operative position to secure the igniting unit in a position of rest on the body portion; and a contact pin fixed on the igniting unit adapted to frictionally engage with the said contact member mounted on the body portion to frictionally hold the igniting unit in position of rest on the body portion preparatory to the operation of securing the igniting unit on the body portion by the guard unit.

5. A cigar-lighter comprising a holding portion; a contact member mounted in said holding portion and insulated therefrom; an igniting unit removably mounted in said holding portion and adapted to rest on a part of the holding portion and having a heating element; a contact pin constituting a terminal of the heating element and fixed to the igniting unit adapted to enter and have firm frictional engagement with the contact mounted on the holding portion so as to frictionally hold the igniting unit in position of rest on the holdng portion and at the same time carry current to the igniting unit and another contact on the holding portion normally out of electrical connection with the other terminal of the heating element.

6. A cigar-lighter comprising a body portion; a contact member mounted in said body portion and insulated therefrom; an igniting unit removably mounted in said body portion and adapted to rest on a part of the body portion; a guard unit mounted on said body portion and adapted to secure the igniting unit in position of rest on the body portion; and a pin and socket connection, one part of which is fixed to the contact block and the other part of which is xed to the igniting unit, adapted to engage when the igniting unit is in position of rest on the body to frictonally hold the igniting unit in such position preparatory to the operation of securing the igniting unit on the body by the guard unit and at the same time carry current to the igniting unit.

7. A cigar-lighter comprising a holding portion; a contact member mounted in said holding portion and insulated therefrom; an igniting unit removably mount/ed in said holding portion and adapted to rest on a part of the holding portion and having a heating element; a contact pin constituting a terminal of the heating element and xed to the igniting unit adapted to enter and have firm rictional engagement withthe contact mounted on the holding portion so as to frictionally hold the igniting unit in position of rest on the holding portion and at the saine time carry current to the igniting unit; another contact on the holding portion normally out of electrical connection with the other terminal of the heating element; and a push-button switch for electrically connecting said last-named Contact on the holding portion with the last-named terminal of the heating element.

8. A cigar-lighter comprising a holding portion; a contact member mounted in said holding portion and insulated therefrom; an igniting unit removably mounted in said holding portion and adapted to rest on a part of the holding portion and having a heating element; a contact pin constituting a termina-l of the heating element and fixed to the igniting unit adapted to enter and have rm frictional engagement with the contact mounted on the holding portion so as to friotionally hold the igniting unit in position of rest on the holding portion and at the same time carry current to the igniting unit; another contact on the body portion normally out of electrical connection with the other terminal of the heating element; and a switch on the holding portion for electrically connecting the last-named contact with the last-named terminal of the heating element.

JOSEPH H. COHEN. 

